The latest from CNN: The destruction is expected to be catastrophic. Storm clouds covered the entire Philippines, stretching 1,120 miles -- equal to a distance between Florida and Canada. The deadly wind field, or tropical storm force winds, covered an area the size of Montana or Germany.

Tacloban, Philippines (CNN) -- A day after Super Typhoon Haiyan roared into the Philippines, a Red Cross official said the death toll could reach 1,200.

"We estimate 1,000 people were killed in Tacloban and 200 in Samar province," Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said of two coastal areas where Haiyan hit first as it began its march Friday across the archipelago.

The Red Cross said it would have more precise numbers Sunday. But experts predicted that it will take days to get the full scope of the damage wrought by a typhoon described as one of the strongest to make landfall in recorded history.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a large presence in the Philippines.

The East Visayan Conference headquarters is located in Tacloban. We have 186 churches in the East Visayan Conference which is part of the Central Philippine Union. ASTR

There is much suffering and death on this and other islands in the Philippines. The world is being turned upside down as it rejects God's love. Let us pray for our church in the Philippines, that they may be witness and a help in this great time of need.

Here is a video taken two years ago at the Adventist Center in Tacloban, one of the Philippine cities devastated by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Let us pray for the people who have survived in this city, especially our brothers and sisters who are in great need.

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[This is an English translation of the speech delivered on November 11, 2013]

Last Friday, Typhoon Yolanda ravaged a large part of the Visayas region. It was one of the strongest typhoons in this country’s history, if not the world’s. We thank the experts from PAGASA, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Phivolcs, and DOST, who gathered together and gave us the right, detailed, information, which allowed our countrymen to prepare for the coming storm. This was also the reason for the reports of low casualty counts from the other provinces that were also in the typhoon’s path, such as Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Aklan, and Romblon, where their local governments were able to prepare in advance.

In spite of all this, we all witnessed the vast destruction that this typhoon wrought in Leyte and Samar. It was there where Typhoon Yolanda’s storm surges were seemingly funneled to the land, and where we saw the heaviest damage; and it is there were we are focusing aid and assistance.

We are also asking for the understanding of all. As Yolanda battered the country, electricity and communications were lost in many areas. This affected not only the communications of those who want to ensure that their families are safe, but also the coordination of our relief efforts. For us to give the aid that is required, we need to know what is needed in each area; and we had difficulty obtaining this data. There were also a number of local governments that, because of the extent of the destruction, were paralyzed, because among those who fell victim to the storm were their own personnel and officials. Just think: we returned to a situation where information had to be spread through word-of-mouth—no TVs, cellphones, or internet; stores and establishments were closed; it was difficult to organize relief efforts. This was the root cause of the chaos that erupted in some areas.

This is where the national government comes in. Instead of just cooperating and adding our efforts to that of communities, the national government must lead. The DPWH cleared roads blocked by the collapse of massive trees; all reported obstructions of roads have likewise been opened. In fulfillment of the requests of local officials, we sent 800 soldiers and policemen to Tacloban to restore peace and order. We have three repacking centers producing 55,000 family food packs every day; and I have already instructed Secretary Abaya of the DOTC to take charge of efforts to deliver relief goods where they are most needed.

The delivery of food, water, and medicines to the most heavily affected areas is at the head of our priorities. We have tasked barangays to deliver and distribute these vital needs; 24,000 family food packs were already distributed in Tacloban yesterday; and these efforts are centralized in the eight largest barangays there. We already have two water purification facilities, and many more are arriving, to ensure that our countrymen have safe drinking water. We are fixing the mechanisms to widen the scope of our government’s social housing program. And from our calamity funds, contingency funds, and savings, we have 18.7 billion pesos that can be used to rehabilitate areas that were devastated by this typhoon.

Aid is also arriving from other countries; 22 countries have pledged their assistance, including Indonesia, America, England, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, and Hungary. The private sector is also finding different ways to help our countrymen recover, such as restoring telecommunications and the supply of oil to affected areas.

At the same time, we are declaring a State of National Calamity to accelerate the efforts of government to save, to render aid, and to rehabilitate the provinces that were ravaged by Yolanda. This is important so that we can ensure control over the prices of the basic commodities and services that our countrymen will need—to avoid overpricing and hoarding of vital products. We have also approved an additional 1.1 billion pesos for the Quick Response Fund of the DSWD and the DPWH, so that they can more quickly provide the necessary support for the recovery of our countrymen who were the victims of this typhoon.

Although we recorded a low casualty count in many of the provinces through which Yolanda passed, in the areas that were seemingly swallowed up by storm surges, it cannot be denied that we witnessed massive destruction and loss of life. Like you, I also want to know what we can do to prevent similar situations in these areas in the future.

In the coming days, be assured: help will reach you faster and faster. My appeal to you all is: remaining calm, praying, cooperating with, and assisting one another are the things that will help us to rise from this calamity.

It has been less than 30 days since Cebu suffered great loss from an earthquake. "The 7.2-magnitude quake killed at least 185 people, injured hundreds more and reduced thousands of buildings to rubble and twisted metal. An estimated 500,000 families are displaced or affected, among them 14 Adventist families....the upper floors of the Adventist hospital in Cebu were damaged, forcing staff to move patients to lower floors and nearby shelters. Walls cracked and ceilings caved in at the church’s East Visayan Academy. The Capital Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cebu also reported damage, church leaders said." 7.2 Quake

Cebu Province is located in the Central Philippines where the most destruction occurred from Haiyan/Yolanda. It was not as bad as Tacloban which was decimated. The Central Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has its headquarters in Cebu. There are 1,200 churches in the union.

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Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

It appears that the typhoon was strongest as it made landfall on the islands of Leyte, Samar. These two islands have great devastation. The southern part of Samar and the northern part of Leyte were directly hit by the eye of the storm with winds said to be constant 195 and gusts over 200mph. Communications is difficult throughout the nation, but on these two islands there does not appear to be any where the typhoon passed over. You can see the eye of Haiyan on the map below just after it passed over Tacloban.

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Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

In Philippines, outpouring of prayer and support in wake of devastating typhoon

Thousands of families are reeling in the wake of what may be the Philippines’ worst natural disaster in history. [photo courtesy ADRA Philippines]ADRA preparing for initial response; Adventist president calls for united prayer

Seventh-day Adventists worldwide are rallying support and prayers in the wake of what is likely the Philippines’ worst natural disaster and one of the most powerful recorded typhoons to ever hit land.

Super Typhoon Haiyan barreled across the central islands of the archipelago over the weekend, flattening entire towns with 195-mph sustained winds and a massive storm surge more often associated with a tsunami, news reports said.

With cell towers toppled, widespread power outages and roads clogged with debris, communication—especially to remote rural areas—remains “very challenging,” according to a situation report from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, the church’s humanitarian arm.

“We are still trying to connect with our people, pastors, church members and loved ones in the hardest-hit areas,” said Adelaida Ortilano, ADRA Philippines office coordinator.

Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson, who was in Manila for the church’s Southern Asia-Pacific Division Year-End Meetings when the typhoon struck, urged Adventists worldwide to join him in “special prayer” for those in the central Philippines “who received such a devastating blow.”

Wilson also led a prayer service for the victims during a large rally in Manila on Saturday.

“Certainly, this is the time for the Seventh-day Adventist Church to show Christ’s compassion and power to help rebuild lives,” Wilson said in a statement today from the Manila International Airport.

ADRA aid crews have been on the ground in the Philippines since last week, tracking the typhoon’s anticipated path and poised for rapid assessment, ADRA officials said.

Moises Musico, ADRA program officer and emergency coordinator, stationed in Bohol before the typhoon hit on Friday, immediately left to assess destruction in northern Cebu.

“The damage we are seeing so far is huge and scattered. We are expecting huge numbers of damaged homes and displaced residents,” Musico said after an initial assessment.

ADRA’s emergency management team is currently focusing on Northern Cebu, Bohol and Iloilo, where aid workers are preparing to distribute shelter, food and clean water.

The ADRA Philippines office owns water purifiers that will likely be deployed to provide potable water to devastated communities, officials said. A technical support team from ADRA Germany is expected to arrive on Tuesday to assist in the implementation of this water purification system.

ADRA Philippines is planning to send an appeal for donations to regional ADRA offices around the world. Needs are “overwhelming,” a news release from the office said. Emergency funds in the country are dwindling due to a series of recent disasters, including October’s magnitude-7.2 earthquake.

National President Benigno Aquino yesterday declared a “state of calamity” in the country. Philippines officials estimate that at least 10,000 people may have died in the storm. If confirmed, it would make Typhoon Haiyan the country’s worst recorded natural disaster.

The Adventist world church expects to contribute funds to relief efforts, Wilson said.